The Metal Being
by Soquilii
Summary: Voyager happens upon a truly unique life form DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the characters and the premise behind Star Trek. Strange New Worlds entry 1997


Part One

 _Captain's Log, Stardate 51035.5: Voyager's ongoing journey back to the Alpha Quadrant has, for the past six weeks, been unremarkable. Ship's stores are barely adequate; however, so the next M- Class planet will be a welcome sight. For now, all is well. Captain and crew are in good spirits._

Captain Kathryn Janeway stepped through the turbolift doors to the bridge, refreshed after a good night's sleep and charged with energy. Her ship, the U.S.S. Voyager, had sailed smoothly through the night under the expert hand of her First Officer, Commander Chakotay. As she entered, the bounce in her step telegraphed her mood to the bridge crew.

'Captain on the Bridge,' teased Chakotay, smiling as he rose to greet her. 'All systems are functioning normally, Captain. Ship's data is ready for your review.' Janeway grinned back at him as she accepted the padd he held out to her.

'I hereby relieve you, sir,' was her lighthearted reply. Chakotay ended his duty watch with a courtly bow. He entered the turbolift and the doors hissed shut behind him.

Janeway seated herself in the Captain's chair and casually crossed her legs, studying the up-to-the-minute data reports on the padd. This temporary trial of the Captain and First Officer alternating bridge duty had worked well in the recent weeks of uneventful passage through this area of space, and both officers benefited from the extra rest it afforded them. Voyager was assured of guidance 24 hours a day since, in essence, she had two Captains.

Janeway consulted the padd and issued her first command of the day. 'Mr. Tuvok, initiate long range sensors and begin looking for the next M-Class planet. We need to replenish supplies before long.'

'Aye, Captain,' replied the Vulcan Security Officer.

'Current speed, Mr. Paris?'

'Holding steady at warp six, Captain,' Voyager's ace pilot, Tom Paris, responded. He glanced at her for confirmation and Janeway nodded her approval.

Tuvok studied the sensor readouts for a long moment while Janeway waited patiently for his report. She knew from the intense expression and the raised eyebrow that he had found something interesting.

'Captain - sensors are picking up a large solar system in the next sector. Our current bearing will take us directly through it,' replied Tuvok. 'It is...an unusual system,' he continued, glancing at Janeway.

'Are we in visual range?' she asked.

'Affirmative,' replied Tuvok.

'Onscreen.'

The large viewscreen at the front of the bridge instantly revealed an incredible panorama. The entire bridge crew stared in amazement at the enormous, glowing, golden sun surrounded by a maelstrom of planets like a swarm of bees at a hive. Tuvok did a swift analysis of the phenomenon.

'There are over ninety specific bodies large enough to be classified as planets,' he reported. 'Most are Class J gaseous giants - methane, hydrogen and nitrogen. The rest have large deposits of metals. There are seventeen planets of unknown composition and twenty-seven moons. Nearly every mineral and element known can be found in this system.'

'All that and not a single M-Class?' exclaimed Janeway.

'One of the missing elements is oxygen,' Tuvok replied. 'Curious. Note the unusual formation - multi- layered spirals surrounding the sun.'

Janeway sighed. 'This would be so interesting to study if we had the time...'

'I detect another solar system in the next sector with a yellow dwarf star. It is likely to contain an M- Class planet,' replied Tuvok.

'Then that's where we need to be. It's going to take too long to circumvent this. Mr. Paris, plot a course through the system and reduce speed to half impulse,' Janeway ordered. 'I was in the mood for sight-seeing, anyway.'

'Aye, Captain, course laid in...reducing speed,' responded Paris, his fingers dancing purposefully over the controls.

'If we can't remain to do a formal study, let's at least pick up all the information we can about this phenomenon,' said Janeway. 'Continue scanning, Mr. Tuvok.' She turned to the Operations Station where Ensign Harry Kim awaited her orders. 'Mr. Kim, send standard greetings just in case - although I'm certain such a system cannot support life.'

'You are correct, Captain - no life signs have been detected by our sensors,' replied Tuvok. 'Shall I keep the viewscreen active?'

'Yes, by all means - I want to see this!'

As Voyager closed the distance to the system, the viewscreen revealed layer upon layer of multi-colored planets in tight round or elliptical orbits around the central star. Most of them had surfaces roiling with gaseous clouds. Moons revolved around the largest of the planets. The giant white sun, itself larger than the entire Terran solar system, lay in the center of the maelstrom. Although the viewscreen and side panels filtered much of the brilliant light from the ship, Janeway ordered all ship lights muted to cut glare.

Ensign Harry Kim checked his console readouts at the Operations Station. 'How did this system ever develop such strange orbits?' he wondered aloud to himself, then blushed as Tuvok answered him.

'Unknown, Ensign. Perhaps it evolved into this configuration due to the fact that despite its size, this star does not have the gravitational pull to keep this many planets in a single spiral formation.'

'This would be an anomaly in the Alpha Quadrant, Mr. Kim, but it may not be here,' offered Janeway, her scientist's heart thrilled at the thought of a new phenomenon to be explored and charted. Voyager proceeded slowly past the first planets, enormous round hulks surrounded by what appeared to be asteroids. Paris skillfully guided the ship past them.

Tuvok broke the silence. 'Captain...'

'What is it, Tuvok?' asked Janeway.

'I am reading...unusual movements throughout the system of small bodies similar to those we see onscreen. Sensors read them as asteroids, but their movement patterns are contradictory. They appear to be drifting from one planet to another, then hovering in orbit as would a moon.'

'What do you think -'

-oOo-

Voyager's Chief Medical Officer interrupted Janeway in mid-sentence. 'Captain - please turn to your Emergency Medical Holographic channel.' Alarmed, Janeway switched on her monitor. The Doctor appeared wearing an expression one could only call peeved.

'What's wrong, Doctor?'

'Captain, I have just diagnosed a case of Talaxian Brain Fever.'

Janeway frowned. 'Let me guess - Neelix.' Neelix was the affable little alien from Talax who had served Voyager well as guide, cook and Morale Officer.

'Affirmative, since we have only the one Talaxian,' replied the Doctor facetiously. 'He failed to obtain an inoculation before he left his homeworld. Mr. Neelix tells me that Talaxian Brain Fever, or Virus 4 as they call it, is highly contagious and can be fatal to all other species - at least, the species he knows. In Talaxians, the fever simply causes severe headaches and a condition with symptoms similar to massive intoxication.'

'I'll issue a ship-wide alert, Doctor.'

'Thank you, Captain. Mr. Neelix will be under strict quarantine while I devise a serum,' replied the Doctor, 'which will be as swift as my ingenious methods will allow.'

'Is he being difficult?' asked Janeway sympathetically. Neelix's gregarious personality was often irritating to the EMH. _And if he's acting intoxicated,_ thought Janeway, _he must be hard to deal with, indeed._

The Doctor responded with a negative wave of the hand. 'Less than usual,' he replied, 'thanks to sedation.'

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Janeway covered a snicker by clearing her throat. 'How did he contract a Talaxian disease at this late date?'

'Virus 4 can lie dormant in a Talaxian individual for years after exposure. I believe he had it when he came on board. In any case, someone else will have to take over the kitchen - oh, and Captain - '

'Yes, Doctor?'

'I recommend purging all ship's filters - especially in Mr. Neelix's quarters and the kitchen, which may contain infected neural gel-packs. Fortunately,' he continued, 'I think Mr. Neelix was quarantined before he came in contact with any of our crew.'

'Very good, Doctor. I'll inform B'Elanna. Keep me posted. Janeway out.'

Janeway closed communications with the Doctor and shook her head. 'I knew it was too good to last,' she sighed, turning her attentions to her Security Chief. 'I'm sorry, Tuvok. Tell me again about the moons.'

-oOo-

Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres opened a panel to gain access to the last neural gel-pack to be checked in the kitchen. She was tired and hungry and more irritable than usual. After anticipating a lull in operations, here she was, along with her Engineering crew, inspecting every damned filter in the ship. This one didn't look good, either - its color wasn't right. _It's infected,_ she thought. _Just great. We're running short of them, too._

By now, the inevitable grapevine had carried word of Neelix's illness throughout the ship. Sympathy for him was outweighed by resentment. His omission to be inoculated against a preventable disease that now threatened the entire crew angered everyone, including the Captain. B'Elanna's exasperation with him knew no bounds. Because of him her duty shift had doubled, and now a gnawing hunger seconded her annoyance. There had been no time to eat and her replicator rations were short. Growling under her breath, she removed the infected gel-pack and inserted a new one.

Chakotay entered the kitchen, rested, refreshed and off duty. He abruptly halted, then grinned at the sight of B'Elanna sprawled on the floor, muttering Klingon curses under her breath.

'Having trouble?' he asked lightly.

B'Elanna extricated herself from the panel opening, craning her neck to look up at him.

'It's only an infected gel-pack! I don't think the Doctor can save it either; the electrical impulses are completely shut down. What are you doing in here?'

Chakotay grinned at her then casually knelt on the floor to watch her work. There was a special relationship between the two of them that went back to the old Maquis days when B'Elanna was his engineer on board the _Liberty_.

'I was about to get something to eat - we're on our own without Neelix's cooking talents for a while.'

B'Elanna ducked back under the panel. 'Don't I know it. Thank the gods! Let me get this panel back in place and I'll join you. I'm absolutely starving! Trouble is...I have no idea what to eat or how to prepare it. I've never had the time to be much of a cook,' she added ruefully. 'Can you hand me that hazardous waste container?'

He complied. 'Would you try some frybread and sofky?'

She sealed the infected gel-pack in the container, closed the panel and turned to look at her former Captain with surprise.

' _You're_ going to _cook_?' asked B'Elanna incredulously.

Chakotay smiled, remembering another time, another place. 'Sure - I've done it before. But first, you'd better purge this hazardous waste. Captain Janeway doesn't want to risk contaminating the pattern buffers in the transporter, so do a waste dump.'

'In the middle of a star system? Couldn't that be hazardous?'

'Sensors don't show any of these planets are capable of supporting life. It should be safe.' Chakotay picked up a bowl and spoon. 'I'll have lunch ready by the time you get back,' he smiled at her.

B'Elanna picked up the container and furrowed her brow at the sight of the First Officer in the galley. Shaking her head, she left the kitchen.

-oOo-

Tuvok and Janeway stood together at his console, studying the data readouts on the scanners.

'These are too small to be moons,' said Tuvok. 'I do not have enough data to correctly identify what they are or what they're composed of.'

'There are so many of them!' exclaimed Janeway. As a former science officer, she was fascinated as always by the unknown: a new species, a new world or an addition to the growing periodic table.

'Have you been able to determine why or how they move about the system?'

'I have a theory, Captain - since I am detecting subspace currents and magnetic fields which could account for their mobility.'

Janeway had a sudden thought. 'Tuvok - what if subspace currents and magnetic fields - or any other outside influences - are _not_ moving them. Could they be mobile? Could they be sentient beings of some kind?'

Tuvok lifted his eyebrow. 'If that were the case, Captain, why have they not answered our hails?'

Janeway turned to Operations. 'Mr. Kim, are we still sending greetings?'

'Hailing frequencies have been continuously open, Captain. I've been sending hails on wide band frequencies but so far - no reply,' reported Kim.

'They might not have that capability - there have been instances where intelligence and the ability to communicate were not linked in a species.'

'You are correct, Captain. However, I must point out that we have as yet detected no lifesigns.'

'The Delta Quadrant has displayed vast talents for presenting us with surprises, Tuvok. Continue scanning. Let me know if anything else...unusual...turns up. I'll be in my ready room.'

'Very well,' replied Tuvok.

'Mr. Paris, you have the conn. Remain on this heading, and dodge anything that gets in the way.'

'Will do, Captain.'

Alone for a moment in her ready room, Kathryn Janeway used one of her precious replicator rations for a steaming cup of black coffee. Inhaling its fragrance, she sat on her couch and gazed out at the incredible sight of so very many spatial bodies held in orbit. Voyager cruised slowly through the system and the curious little _rock-pods_ , as she thought of calling them, wandered here and there. As she watched, they would group together then separate, swiftly circle any planet, then re-group. A few of them seemed to hover around Voyager, keeping pace with the ship as it carefully navigated past the planets. _If only the scanners could tell us more,_ she thought. _This is truly amazing. Their patterns of movement certainly suggest intelligence to me._ She continued staring out the window, studying them, sipping her coffee and making occasional notes on the padd on her lap.

-oOo-

Seated with Chakotay in the Mess Hall, B'Elanna leaned back contentedly. 'You can make frybread and sofky for me any day,' she said with approval. 'What is sofky, anyway? Tastes like corn.'

'It is. It's an ancient dish prepared by many tribes, including my own. Corn has always been the main staple of most of the people indigenous to the ancient Americas on Earth.'

'Don't give the recipe to Neelix; he'll butcher it.'

'He does have a heavy hand with the spices, doesn't he?'

B'Elanna nodded, her brow furrowing in indignation. 'I used a replicator ration for the ingredients of _qagh_ , gave him the recipe and by the time he got through with it even _I_ couldn't eat it!'

Chakotay threw back his head and laughed in appreciation of B'Elanna's rare wit. After a minute of indignation, she allowed herself a grin.

'About Neelix - no one's been in to see him except Kes. Everyone's annoyed with him - and he knows it.'

'Yeah, well, I don't blame them. With a little foresight on his part, we wouldn't have had to worry with all this.'

Chakotay rose from his chair as an idea suddenly hit him. 'Come on. Let's stop by Sickbay to see how he's doing and cheer him up.'

B'Elanna's fierce mien returned. 'Visit him while he's _under quarantine?_ '

'The Doctor erected a force field around him. There's no danger,' Chakotay assured her. 'Just try not to yell at him, ok?'

'If you insist.'

Neelix, alone in Sickbay, locked behind a force field which B'Elanna checked carefully on her tricorder before she entered the room, lay inside the shell on his biobed. The EMH was apparently not activated at the moment, and Kes, the Ocampa nurse, had not yet come on duty. The shimmer of the force field separating him from B'Elanna and Chakotay reflected the light in minuscule sparkles. Neelix raised his head and greeted his visitors blearily with his eyes crossed and his hands waving through the air as though conducting an orchestra.

'At lo-o-o-ong las'! Shome comp'ny! Doc ish s-o-o-o gwumpy! What'd he jusht...tell me? You had to...pursh my quarters?'

In spite of herself, B'Elanna stifled a giggle. 'I had to purge the filters in your quarters to keep the rest of us from getting sick, Neelix. We wouldn't fare so well if we did,' she answered.

'Oh, then tha'sh good. I wash afraid you'd deshtroy all my shtuff!'

'No, I wouldn't do that,' replied B'Elanna. 'Your 'stuff' is fine, waiting for your return.'

'Good! Good! Wunnerful!' he blathered.

'You seem to be feeling a little better, Neelix,' said Chakotay.

'I feel lotsh better, but nobody...hash come to vizzit me! Doc told me nobody would until he could make a sherum.' Neelix got quiet suddenly and shook his head back and forth sorrowfully. 'Pleash tell de Cap'an I shorry. Tell everybody I very shorry.'

B'Elanna, contrite, hastened to reassure him. 'It's all right, Neelix. You didn't know you were going to get sick after all this time. I wouldn't worry -'

B'Elanna never completed her sentence. A powerful jolt hit the ship and threw the two officers to the floor. Loose medical equipment went flying. Neelix, although safely confined within the shell, jerked with the shock of the collision. Stunned, he watched as a silvery flash swept past his eyes and he had enough of his wits about him to know what had happened.

 _'Chakotay! B'Elanna! Get out! Get out now! The forsh field ish down!'_ screamed Neelix. Getting to his feet, Chakotay grabbed B'Elanna's arm and unceremoniously dragged her across the floor, as far away from Neelix's biobed as possible. He pulled her to her feet.

'We can't leave Sickbay, B'Elanna - we've been exposed. We could infect the entire ship.' The two officers stared at each other. Neelix was yelling for the Emergency Medical Hologram. The Doctor materialized, unaware of the emergency situation.

'What is it _now_ , Mr. Neelix?' he asked in his programmed, exasperated tone. He approached the biobed, stepping through what should have been the line of the now non-existent force field. There was no flash signaling his entry. _'What's happened to the force field?!'_

Before the two officers could speak, Neelix began babbling in panic. _'Doctor! Chakotay and B'Elanna - they've been exshposed to the fever! Shomething hit the ship! The forsh field - it'sh gone!'_

 _'Where are they now?!'_

Neelix pointed with a wavering hand. _'Over there!'_

The Doctor, greatly alarmed, turned to face B'Elanna and Chakotay, who stood stoically staring back at him. 'Commander; Lieutenant,' he said to them, 'I have so far been unable to devise a serum for this disease.'

B'Elanna spoke first. 'We know, Doctor. What do we do now?'

-oOo-

'Captain, I think you should see this,' reported Lieutenant Paris through the comm system. Captain Janeway left her ready room immediately and entered the bridge.

'What is it, Lieutenant?'

Paris pointed to the still active viewscreen. 'See all those _rock-pods_ as you call them? They keep darting back and forth across the hull. I've been doing my best to avoid them,' he paused to adjust the heading, 'but they seem bent on getting in our way!'

'That's curious,' Janeway remarked as she watched the movement of the strange, asteroid-like bodies shooting ahead of Voyager then dropping back along its sides. _They remind me of dogs herding a flock of sheep!_ she thought.

'Tom, take us to three-quarter impulse. If we increase our speed slightly they may not be able to keep up with us...'

'Aye, Captain - increasing speed to three-quarter impulse.'

'Steady as she goes...'

The graceful little ship responded to Paris' skillful hand. Just ahead, two large planets spun slowly in close proximity, blocking the way. One of them, a sphere of gunmetal gray, hovered on Voyager's left. Slightly ahead and to the right lay a pink gas giant. Several more orbs in close formation lay beyond them. _Time to thread the needle,_ thought Paris.

Tuvok, constantly checking his readouts, spoke up. 'Mr. Paris, sensors read a powerful magnetic field emanating from the planet to our left. Its composition is 78% metal.' Tom glanced at the Captain.

'You have the reins, Tom.'

'Aye, Captain - adjusting course,' said Paris as his hands maneuvered Voyager to starboard. Without warning, two of the larger _rock-pods_ swimming alongside Voyager veered toward the ship on the starboard side. Paris immediately steered Voyager slightly to port, attempting to avoid a collision, but the larger of the rocks smashed into the starboard ventral. Voyager, running without shields, shuddered with the impact. Everyone grabbed for handholds to keep from hitting the deck. The collision threw Voyager into the grip of the gray planet's magnetic field and sent the rock hurtling toward the planet's surface.

'Captain! _We're being pulled toward the planet! The magnetic field is too strong!'_

 _'Full impulse - hard to starboard, Mr. Paris!'_

Voyager's engines whined with the strain as Paris pulled the ship far to the right in an attempt to escape the powerful pull of the planet.

'Captain - I can't break us free! _We're being pulled in!'_

 _'Red Alert!'_

-oOo-

The Doctor hovered over B'Elanna with a medical tricorder. 'You seem to be immune to Virus 4, Lieutenant.'

'Klingons are immune to quite a few things, Doctor - or haven't you noticed?' she retorted, her patience wearing thin.

'Yes, I have noticed.' replied the Doctor. 'I can now use your DNA to replicate a cure for the virus - better than the preventative vaccine for the Vidiian Phage. With your permission, of course.'

'All right. What about Chakotay?'

'I'm hoping the vaccine will be ready before he shows any symptoms. I'll monitor him carefully. In the meantime, I'll incorporate your immunity to Talaxian Brain Fever into my Klingon database. I'm sure the Kronos Empire will be delighted with my discovery.'

B'Elanna rolled her eyes at him. As if Kronos - or the Terran system, for that matter - would ever have to worry about it! As the sole Talaxian in the Alpha Quadrant - assuming they all made it home - Neelix would no longer pose a threat with the virus; he had said you could only get it once. She thought for a moment how unique both Neelix and Kes would be there - so much more unique than a rebellious half-Klingon Maquis-Starfleet misfit. The Doctor turned B'Elanna in order to extract the DNA sample from the back of her neck. She now faced the biobeds. There, behind the re-initialized force fields lay Neelix, drunkenly singing a Talaxian ditty to himself. Chakotay lay in a separate alcove, signaling thumbs-up to her. She nodded to him and spoke curtly to the Doctor.

'I have to get back to Engineering. Can I leave now?'

'Yes, of course. Thank you for your assistance. When you have time I would like to perform further tests to determine what other antidotes could be derived from your DNA.'

B'Elanna borrowed one of the Doctor's own idioms as she left Sickbay. 'We'll see, Doctor. I'm an engineer, not a guinea pig!'

-oOo-

'We're stable, Captain,' reported Paris. 'I can hold us at high orbit - 20,000 kilometers - but I don't know how we're going to break out of it. The pull from that planet is too strong.'

'Cancel Red Alert. We'll find a way, Tom. Good work.' Janeway stood at Paris' station, watching the viewscreen. The rock which had collided with Voyager continued to spin out of control toward the planet. Moments later, a flash of light bloomed on the planet's surface. Paris looked up at Janeway.

'No - not so good. I'm sorry, Captain. I tried to avoid it - but it came right at us. What was it - a small asteroid?'

Janeway thought back to the intelligent patterns these little _rock-pods_ had exhibited. With misgivings, she reassured Paris. 'I think so, Tom.'

-oOo-

Part Two

Young Harry Kim anticipated Janeway's next command. 'Very little damage to the ship, Captain. Repair crews are already on it. No injuries have been reported, but there is a problem in Sickbay. They've lost containment of the virus and Chakotay is under quarantine with Neelix. B'Elanna was with him but the Doctor released her to Engineering. She's apparently ok.'

It had been too good to last - the peace and quiet, the respite from problems...now another crisis...her First Officer down...Voyager trapped in a magnetic orbit...the destruction of...whatever that was. Brushing her hair back, Janeway tapped her comm badge.

'Janeway to Engineering! B'Elanna - are you all right?'

'I'm fine, Captain. The collision caused a temporary shutdown in some minor systems, but they're all up and running now. Chakotay is in Sickbay.'

'I'm aware of it. Glad you're all right - Janeway out. Lieutenant Paris, you have the conn. I'll be in Sickbay.'

The pretty, dainty Ocampa nurse ran through the corridors in response to the Doctor's summons. Her duty watch would not begin for another hour but she was accustomed to being on call whenever an emergency arose. She joined Captain Janeway en route and they entered Sickbay together. Kes went immediately to work replicating the serum.

'Captain, there is no cause for alarm,' the Doctor reassured Janeway. 'I have a vaccine, and it can be administered to all on board within the hour. So far, the Commander has shown no symptoms.'

'That's the first good news I've heard all day,' replied Janeway, acknowledging a wave from her First Officer. 'And Neelix?'

'In his case, the fever will simply have to run its course.'

'Thank you, Doctor. I'm diverting more power to the medical force fields, however - we're caught in a magnetic orbit and it may be bumpy breaking out of it. We don't want those fields down again.'

'Understood, Captain.'

-oOo-

The days flew by as Voyager continued to circle the planet, trapped in orbit. The serum for Virus 4 was administered to Voyager's entire crew; Commander Chakotay returned to duty. With the current emergency at hand, he joined Captain Janeway on the bridge. Neelix remained in Sickbay with symptoms markedly improved; the drunken behavior had ceased and he had stopped singing, much to the Doctor's relief. Volunteers prepared meager meals, a product of the strict rationing imposed since the incident. Time and again the senior officers met in conference to propose ideas which, when put into action, inevitably failed. Every Maquis escape technique that Chakotay could think of had been explored, found ineffective, and discarded. B'Elanna was constantly working with the intricacies of the warp engines, diverting power to enhance their strength. Even Tom Paris's cocky, self-assured methods in maneuvering had failed.

Worried, whispered conversations ran rampant through the ship. Were they doomed to orbit this planet forever until everyone died of starvation? Would Voyager become a dead piece of titanium forever locked in the gravitational grip of an unknown planet? The crew had every confidence in Captain Janeway; she had earned it countless times in countless situations. Still, they worried: could the Captain pull this one off?

-oOo-

Captain Janeway was tired, although she bravely betrayed no sign of fatigue to her First Officer or her crew. The timekeeper now marked two weeks since Voyager had become trapped in orbit. The latest effort to break free from the hold of the magnetized planet had ended in failure. B'Elanna had coaxed and tweaked and pulled power from every possible spare source, including life support, to enhance the warp engines. Then, with Janeway's permission, Tom Paris had initiated full warp from a dead stop. The hull threatened to buckle with the strain, systems went down and the ship lost shields. In the hours following that last effort, shields had been reinitialized and systems were stable.

Janeway issued a wide-band subspace message - a plea for help - on all channels hoping that intelligent life might still be found in the area which would respond to the call. Now she stood on the bridge, one hand on her hip, the other stroking her chin. She addressed her bridge crew.

'I'm open to suggestions. Does anyone have any other ideas?'

Tuvok spoke up. 'I have been forming a theory, Captain. There are only two possibilities for our situation. We are indeed caught in a natural magnetic orbit as a result of our collision. If that is the case, it is unlikely that we will be able to extricate ourselves without help. Or - this is the work of intelligent beings who are holding us here. I believe some one - or - some thing has deliberately trapped us.'

Janeway digested this in silence. _But why? We only hit a rock! Or_ _ **was**_ _it a rock?_ she thought.

Harry Kim spoke up, excitement in his tone. 'Captain - I'm picking up some type of wide band subspace message - sound only!'

'On speakers!' Janeway ordered.

Excruciatingly loud static crackled throughout the bridge, forcing everyone to shield their ears. Janeway, wincing at the pressure on her eardrums, stepped over to Kim's station.

'Can you clear it up, Mr. Kim?' she shouted.

'Trying, Captain. I've already filtered the amplification down as far as I can but - '

Silence fell suddenly as the static vanished. Janeway let out a breath in relief as the pressure on her ears diminished, but her face fell at the prospect of losing communication.

'Could that have been the some _one_ or some _thing_ trying to communicate with us?' asked Tom.

'It's possible,' replied Janeway. 'All we can do is wait and see if they attempt communication again.'

'And hope,' said Kim.

Many minutes passed. Again, the same loud static filled the speakers, slowly clearing to a low-pitched whine. Kim worked swiftly at his console until the signal grew softer and softer. A deep, ethereal voice came through the Universal Translator, its tone was authoritative and unmistakably hostile.

 ** _'Infinitesimal metal being!'_**

The crew exchanged looks. Janeway addressed the unknown entity in a stern voice.

'I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager -'

The voice cut her off. **_'That matters not - infinitesimal metal being. Cease to continue your useless attempt to free the metal being. No escape.'_**

'Please tell us who you are…and why there is to be no escape?' asked Janeway. There was no reply. She tried again, summoning all her diplomatic skill.

'I am addressing the entity who just communicated with this ship. Please respond. We wish to communicate with you.'

Silence prevailed; Janeway was hard put not to fidget. 'Are you responsible for holding us in orbit?!' she demanded, losing her patience. There was no reply.

'Mr. Kim!'

'It's no use, Captain. The signal's gone.'

Frustrated, Janeway turned to her bridge crew. 'Infinitesimal being, indeed! Well, whatever or whoever that is, I don't appreciate being held against my will with no explanation. Too many things have already happened _against our will._ There's got to be some way out of this.'

'I think all we can do is wait for further communications, Captain,' replied Tom. 'The entity spoke with us once. It may speak again.'

Tuvok spoke up. 'I agree with Mr. Paris, Captain. Logic suggests no action until this entity chooses to communicate with us - as I am certain it will - in its own good time. One thing is certain - we are dealing with a powerful being.'

'Powerful or not, let's hope its _own good time_ coincides with ours, Tuvok.'

Janeway mentally reviewed the status of the ship's food supply. Voyager could subsist for only another week or two on what they had. Replicator rations were out of the question. The ship would need every ounce of power to escape when the time was right. Severe rationing was already eroding morale. The situation weighed heavily on Janeway; not having a solution ready at hand was intolerable to her. Then her chin went up as was her wont whenever she was backed against a stone wall.

'Ensign Kim - see if you can determine exactly how that entity is transmitting. Set up a constant barrage of communication from Voyager. Maybe this...being...will _answer the phone_ if it keeps on ringing.'

To Tuvok's raised eyebrow, she amended, 'A bit of ancient Earth, Tuvok. Several hundred years ago, Terrans had a method of communication called a 'telephone.' You input a large amount of numbers and the receiver would ring loudly - constantly - until someone answered.'

'Quaint,' replied Tuvok, 'and surely - irritating.'

'That's what I'm hoping,' replied Janeway with a sly smile.

-oOo-

 _Captain's Log, Supplemental: Three weeks have passed since the collision with what we believe to be an asteroid. Voyager remains trapped in orbit above a magnetized planet. Supplies are becoming critical. No further communication from the mysterious entity has been received. Ensign Harry Kim has attempted to determine the source of transmission._

'However they're transmitting, Captain, it's beyond our capability to access or duplicate,' Harry reported in frustration. 'All we can do is keep hailing them and hope they'll answer.'

'All right, Harry, you did your best. You'll find that you can't always provide answers...or solutions...especially out here.'

'Thank you, Captain,' Harry replied gratefully.

Janeway turned from Harry and nodded to B'Elanna, back from Engineering. B'Elanna took her place on the right of the bridge and sat at her console. Tuvok caught Janeway's eye before she descended to her chair.

'Captain, may I have a word with you?' Tuvok beckoned quietly. Janeway approached his station and as quietly, she asked, 'What is it, Tuvok?'

'Our orbit is diminishing.'

Janeway digested this in silence. 'At what rate?'

'We were stable at 20,000 kilometers the first week. I noticed a slight drop in the second week; no more than several meters a day - but in the past few days our orbit has been reduced by three thousand kilometers.'

'Which means we have to break orbit - or be forced to land - or crash - on a planet that will not support life.'

'Correct, Captain. If Voyager is pulled below 10,000 kilometers, this planet is so magnetized we will never break free.'

'I see. What do you suggest, Tuvok?'

'In order to force this being to communicate it may be necessary to issue a threat - we still have weapons - tell them we will fire into the system - and if they don't reply - do it.'

Janeway looked at her Security Officer in consternation.

'We have absolutely nothing to lose, Captain.'

Before Janeway could reply, the loud static returned.

'They're hailing us, Captain!' Harry shouted above the din. Following the same pattern, the static vanished, returned, and fell to a soft whisper.

 ** _'Unkind creatures! Cruel! Even in your punishment you try to kill us!'_** The whisper faded.

Janeway swiftly responded. 'Please remain and speak with us! What punishment?' Another long silence prevailed. She stood before the viewscreen, head held high, determination in every line of her body. Damn it, she wanted answers!

'I am addressing the entity of this solar system. We have great need to communicate with you! Does your species have a name?'

As if it were revving up from a paused start, the whisper began and grew louder. **_'Ourselves are known simply as Ourselves. There are no...names...in the domain in which we dwell.'_**

'Then how may I address you?'

 ** _'There is no need to address Ourselves. There is no need for communication.'_**

'Excuse me, but I have a great need for communication! Our species does not understand why we are being forcibly held! Please tell us what we have done that you decree we must be punished!'

After a pause, the being answered. **_'Ourselves reside in and care for this star system. Without Ourselves the planets would drift away from the life-giving star. In return, the various planets and their compositions provide Ourselves with nutrients. They must be maintained in their orbits. The metal being came into the system of Ourselves - not wanted here. The metal being killed one of Ourselves. The decree is punishment to the metal being - its death in return. Ourselves locked you in orbit around this our planet. The planet will hold the metal being forever. Yet even in the grip of your death you reach out to harm Ourselves. The metal being has hurled a harmful organism toward us!'_**

B'Elanna spoke up from her station. 'Captain! The infected gel-pack! I released it into space!'

'It's all right, B'Elanna. You were following my orders.'

At last, Janeway had an answer. Surely now she could negotiate with this creature, formulate a solution. She again addressed the alien. ' _Ourselves_ \- we are familiar with the concept of crime and punishment. It is part of our own culture. We understand why you have captured us. Our ship - the 'metal being' which houses us - has sensitive equipment that recognizes most life forms. However, we have never traveled this area before. Our sensors failed us this one time. We were not aware that your species is a life form. Now that we know, we feel strong sorrow for the death of your being. We know you are sick. In that instance, at least, we can help you. We have a medicine which can heal you.'

'Captain - we don't know if it will work on these creatures!' Harry interjected. Janeway held up her hand for silence.

 ** _'Medicine will not bring the one of Ourselves back to life.'_**

'That is true, but I assure you, it was an unintentional accident. We as a species do not punish accidents. We were not aware that the collision involved a living being. Again, we offer our deepest sympathy and regrets for our actions.'

 ** _'And you have made us ill,'_** continued the ethereal voice.

'Let us redeem ourselves – er - we of the metal being. Let us cure you. If we are able to do so would we be granted mercy by _Ourselves_? If we saved all, would that action not negate the accidental destruction of the one?' Janeway waited an interminable time for the being to respond. Just as she thought communication had again been terminated, the soft whisper came through.

 ** _'Ourselves will consider the matter.'_**

Communications ended abruptly and Janeway took a deep breath. 'Commander, you have the bridge. I'm going to talk with the Doctor. Let me know immediately if we hear from them again.'

'Aye, Captain,' replied Chakotay grimly.

-oOo-

Part Three

In Sickbay, Janeway found the EMH examining Neelix with a medical tricorder. The little Talaxian was nearly back to normal, she noticed. Neelix could do more toward rationing with his wide range of seemingly impossible recipes when he returned to duty, possibly buying them time. The EMH glanced up at her approach.

'May I help you, Captain?'

'Doctor, I need a miracle.'

'Then perhaps you would prefer one of the dogmatic programs stored in the Holodeck.'

'This miracle will have to come from you. I've just elevated you to a deity,' Janeway joked grimly. 'I have to cure a pile of rocks.'

'Surely you jest.'

'I would that it were true. Doctor, we have inadvertently infected a race of beings which can only be described as rocks with Talaxian Brain Fever. Apparently, since they are intelligent which denotes some sort of brain, the virus was capable of infecting them. If only Neelix had had a lung infection instead!'

 _'Captain!'_

'Forget I said it. I need you to replicate more serum - as much as possible - then we have to figure a way to administer it.'

The Doctor frowned. 'Replicating such a large amount of serum will certainly drain our power resources, Captain.'

'I'm well aware of that. Power systems were nearly depleted trying to break orbit. However, if there's even the smallest chance of getting out of here, I'm willing to travel at slow impulse and eat leola root leftovers for the next six months!'

'If it has to come to that, I'm grateful to be a hologram. I will begin preparations at once, Captain.'

'I'll have B'Elanna contact you as soon as she comes up with a method of dispensing it. Then let's hope it cures them!'

'Very well.'

-oOo-

Janeway headed for Engineering. On the way, her scientist's mind churned with ideas as to how to administer a serum to such a vast area. She entered Engineering with no viable ideas. She just hoped B'Elanna could come up with something. The Chief Engineer was still working scenarios to get them out of orbit. She glanced up at Janeway's approach.

'B'Elanna, I have a new problem for you,' Janeway began. 'We have to figure out a way to administer Virus 4 serum to these... _entities_. I have a feeling that if we can cure them they'll release us. There has to be a large container of some sort. Any ideas?'

B'Elanna thought for a long moment. 'We can create a cavity by extending the forward shields. If we fill that area with iogenic particles...then beam the shell of a probe containing the serum into the cavity, the iogenic field would confine the serum. I could rig the probe to open on command. Then we drop shields and back the ship away. I could adjust the magnetic flux density that would allow the _rock-pods_ , as you call them, to enter the cavity, pass through the field, and obtain their dosage - or coating, if you will. I think it could work, Captain. I certainly can't think of another alternative.'

Janeway nodded, marveling at the speed at which her Chief Engineer could problem-solve.

'The only drawback, Captain,' B'Elanna continued, 'is that this can't be done from orbit. The pull of that planet would take the probe casing right out of our hands.'

'We have to be released in order to try it.'

'Correct, Captain.'

Janeway sighed. 'That's for me to work out. When you're ready, call the Doctor - he'll have enough serum by then, I hope. Meanwhile, they are _considering_ the matter. I'm not waiting to hear from them. I'm going to contact these unnamed beings first and get the ball rolling.'

Janeway returned to the bridge. 'Mr. Kim, send the following message to the entity: _Allow us to help you. We have the capability. Please respond. Most urgent.'_

'Aye, Captain,' replied Kim.

She sat in her chair, her mind racing. Would she be able to convince these obstinate creatures? Surprisingly, she didn't have to wait long this time before the beings responded.

 ** _'Ourselves would know what can be done for us by the metal being,'_** whispered the voice. **_'It is feared that our planets will drift away - the system cannot be maintained - Ourselves are ill...'_**

Calling on all of her training in diplomacy and formality, Janeway stood, approached the viewscreen and addressed the unseen entity.

 _'Ourselves_. We of the metal being wish to offer help. We can indeed heal that which has sickened you. Please allow us to aid you so that we may perhaps atone for the great crime of destroying the one.'

The being was silent as Janeway explained the procedure in simplistic language. Then she played her last card.

'It will be necessary for _Ourselves_ to remove us from the orbit of this planet in order to accomplish this.'

A strained silence ensued as Voyager awaited the call. Janeway remained standing before the viewscreen, her attitude telegraphing confidence to her crew. Presently the familiar static came through the speakers.

 ** _'You may proceed, metal being. It is decreed that preserving our system redeems you in the eyes of Ourselves. Ourselves therefore remove metal being from orbit. When we are well, metal being will be escorted from this system. Metal being is instructed never to return to the system of Ourselves.'_**

'That is graciously accepted by we of the metal being. Our thanks,' said Janeway.

-oOo-

The Mess Hall thronged with people congratulating Janeway, B'Elanna and the Doctor - sporting his holo-emitter - as Voyager sailed slowly from the system, escorted by many of the curious beings. Neelix, fully recovered, dispensed small goblets of water to everyone since supplies were so low. The success of _B'Elanna's Bubble_ \- as unanimously christened by the crew to the embarrassment of Torres, who blushed furiously at the sound of the name - was duly toasted.

'Speaking of names, how shall we name these creatures for posterity, Captain? _Ourselves_ sounds rather vague,' Chakotay remarked.

'That's a good question, Commander. I'd certainly prefer a proper name - something categorizing them for our records. When I first saw these beings, before we learned of their intelligence, they seemed harmless - rather cute, in fact,' replied Janeway, gesturing with her glass. 'I referred to them as _rock-pods_. However, in light of our recent experience, I think we should refer to them in a more intellectual manner. What do you think of _Caelestis Entitas_?'

'Latin for _Celestial Entity_. Excellent!' replied Chakotay. 'Then shall we toast them? They didn't turn out to be allies, but they set us free.' Chakotay's face grew somber. 'We would not have been able to escape on our own, Captain.'

With a grim nod, Janeway raised her glass of water; Chakotay raised his. The glasses clinked softly as Voyager left the spacial confines of _Caelestis Entitas_.

The End


End file.
